When Mrs. Irwin invited me to write an article for Preschool, she suggested I share “Wisdom from Chaplain Wiseman” which is what one of her sweet daughters called me when she first came to Trinity. It still tickles me every time I think about it and will forever be one of my favorite nicknames.  The season of the wisemen, the angels, and the coming of the Christ child is upon us. It is the season of Advent. Advent means “waiting”. Advent is a sweet and special time, and particularly so in Preschool Chapel. Every day a new Bible story will be read and a new ornament added to the Jesse Tree. This is such a beautiful way to remind our preschoolers what they’ve learned this fall from the Old Testament and help them make the connection between those stories of the God of Israel and Jesus coming to earth as one of us. 

Waiting is hard for everyone, but especially for our youngest friends. I remember talking about a trip to the beach when my youngest son had just turned three. He called out for me in the night and told me he kept dreaming that crabs were attacking him. He couldn’t remember what crabs were called, so he just sat up in bed making pinchers with his fingers. I made a pallet next to my side of the bed, and an hour or so after we all had gotten back to sleep, he sat up and said, “Is it time to put my swim soup on now?” We still had three weeks to go before the beach trip. I was worried we would never sleep again. 

The Jesse Tree is a great way to count the days until Christmas while keeping the focus on the true meaning of the holiday. Marking time this way in Chapel helps children to look forward to and anticipate Christmas Day while enjoying the waiting. As our children get older, they understand time and we no longer have to explain things by how many sleeps there are to go. Marking time remains important, though. “Teach us to count our days, Oh Lord, that we may gain a wise heart,” writes the Psalmist is Psalm 90:12. Next year when our PreK 4 friends go to Kinder, they will melt our hearts in the Saints of God program in observance of All Saints Day. When they get to Third Grade, they’ll re-visit the Jesse Tree. This time they will have designed and made their own beautiful wood cut ornaments and they’ll explain the story their ornament represents all by themselves. Before you know it, you’ll be in my shoes with a graduating Senior. So many traditions that help us mark the milestones of childhood (that all once seemed far off!)  are now part of a chapter that is coming to a close. My family is in a new season of waiting, eager to hear back from colleges and move another step along the journey to seeing what the future holds for our beloved girl. 

Trinity School is a wonderful partner in marking time and helping us enjoy the journey from our children’s youngest school days to the finish line of commencement. Slowing down, counting the days and making the days count, as they say, is not just a challenge for a busy holiday season. It is a task for life. Mrs. Hammer told our Kindergarten parents at Saints of God this year that this moment will come full circle when the little saints saying a line at the microphone today (so brave!) will stand and deliver an entire chapel talk as a graduation requirement.  I am so grateful that so many milestones in our student’s lives are marked in Chapel, with prayers and blessings, centered on how much each student is loved by God and by their community. 

My own kids are fans of sleeping in these days, so I won’t be up at 5am with you on Christmas morning, but I will be marking the time with you, soaking it in, and giving thanks that the ultimate wait is over. Jesus is here, Emmanuel, God with us. Because God so loves the world, the whole of our lives is filled with the hopeful expectation that the best is yet to come. Enjoy the wait.